


Secrets

by MrDork



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Badass Rhys, Ex-Vault Hunter Rhys, Good Dad Jack, M/M, One Big Happy Family, Personal Assistant Rhys (Borderlands), Rhys is Handsome Jack's Personal Assistant, Young Angel (Borderlands)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-01-31 07:55:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18587020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrDork/pseuds/MrDork
Summary: Rhys has just landed a job being THE Handsome Jack's personal assistant. He's got to look after Hyperions best(or worst)-kept secret and keep a lid on his own. He meets a doppelganger. He's also gotta save the day and ends up with a surprising lack of organs. Maybe he should've sucked it up and accepted he'd get airlocked and decline the job. Rhys is dying faster than he would like. Oh, and what the hell is R&D doing making monstrous sized Stalkers?





	Secrets

Upon entering the office and getting to his cubicle he had felt eyes on him.   of his coworkers they never dared to look at him early in the morning, especially until they've affirmed he's had his coffee. Which the godsend named Vaughn had made sure of it. The brunette settling his papers onto his desk which for his position was gladly away from all the other cubicles and much larger. Suddenly a large hand slaps down onto his back between his shoulders. 

"RHYS! My man my guy, my right hand." Its Henderson, Rhys turns around raising a brow. "So uh since our last messenger boy got...terminated early, I need you, to deliver the bad news to Handsome Jack himself." 

"I'm not doing that.." Rhys looks at Henderson with disdain. "I'm not delivering bad news the to most trigger happy guy on this station." 

"Your gonna do it unless you want to end up in janitorial." Henderson threatens. Normally Rhys doesn't get affected by threats but his career would be at stake. He looks down at his shoes, before reluctantly saying.

"Fine." He turns and Henderson immediately shoves a bunch of folders into his arms it's only 4 and they aren't too large luckily. 

"Get to it," Henderson says. "Also here." Henderson hands him a keycard. "This will make sure you get to his office without getting shot by turrets." He just nods. "Also take off that mask, Boss-man may think that you're mocking him." Rhys rolls his eyes.

"For the last time, Henderson it's a prosthetic," Henderson mutters a whatever before walking off. Rhys is tempted to send an echo-message to Vaughn and Yvette saying his goodbyes and updating his will real quick, but he doesn't want to jinx it so he decided not to send a message but does update his will while on the way to the elevators. Once inside he presses the floor and scans the keycard and it makes its way up to the 16th floor, the CEO's being on the 21st. As he waits for the elevator which is going painstakingly slow, he thinks about his mask. Hopefully, the CEO doesn't give him any weird looks about it. Sure he's a fan but he's actually not that much of a fanboy not since his internship, he'd gotten rid of those posters years ago. 

The elevator reaches the floor it's a couple of floors under Jack's office for security it stops at the 16th floor and you need to take another elevator up to the 21st floor. He's returned back into reality with its 'ding'. The doors open and he's greeted with a little girl crying by herself in the hallway. This sends alarm bells ringing in his head. Though he chooses to ignore it until he spots a familiar figure following behind her, stalking her. Its Hugo Vasquez. The brunette is conflicted but quickly decides. Briskly trotting over to the little girl which startles her he snarls at Hugo. 

"Back off Vasquez."

"Hey this isn't your business Rhys," Hugo says with disdain. 

"Back. Off," Rhys snarls standing his ground. 

Hugo was the one to escalate it, lunging out at Rhys to punch him. Rhys weasels underneath Hugo and grabbing the taller man by the throat with his cybernetic arm. Hugo makes a startled noise and Rhys allows him to pull back. Hugo backs up before turning with his metaphorical tail between his legs. Like the coward he was.

"Hey," He speaks softly to get her attention, she looks up at him snivelling. He walks over to his and crouches door to be eye level. "What're doing out here all by yourself? He didn't hurt you right?" He asks gently looking around half expecting a parent to come storming in and attack him or something with his luck. 

"Mr Blake left me here and was really mean! It's been an hour already! And I don't know how to get back to daddy's office from this hallway! And-and that man was following me!" Rhys quickly puts two and two together, and it's obvious the little girl's dad is his boss's boss's boss. He nods. 

"I'm Rhys, what' s your name?" 

"I'm Angel," Angel says sniffling still. 

"Angel, what a nice name, I bet Mr Blake is jealous of your awesome name." 

"You think?" Angel asks, wiping away her tears.

"I know so,  bet he gets all grumbly because he doesn't have such a nice name." Rhys nods. 

"Yeah! That's probably why he's so mean, your really nice Mr Rhys!" Angel says enthusiastically.

Rhys did have a way with kids. Coming from being the oldest a 4 younger siblings, he had to be. Rhys just smiles. "Thank you, Angel, let's get you back to your daddy okay." He says. He walks Angel to the executive elevator and they make it up to Handsome Jack's office. When she asks about how he knows the way, he says it's his echo eye and shes awed by it. She asks about his mask and the awkward look he gives her she instantly understands. 

"I understand my daddy doesn't like to talk about his mask either!" She says with a nod. Angel and he make it to the office and a lady with blue hair behind the secretary's desk says. 

"Your meetings going to start in a couple of minutes." Angel runs up the blue haired lady and tells her what happened and the blue-haired lady seems angry. 

 

The doors open and Handsome Jack himself calls out "NEXT!" It's almost comical, how Angel forgets about her story and blue haired lady and bolts inside. As if its a second thought she comes back and grabs Rhys's hand and leads him inside. They go up the stairs and Rhys is greeted with a gun aimed at him and an angry jack.

"Who the hell are you! Angel c'mere!" Angel panics.

"No daddy! Don't hurt Rhys! He didn't do anything wrong!" Angel sniffles holding onto Rhys's leg. Rhys himself isn't too shaken, Angel is probably Hyperions best-kept secret. 

"But Angel, baby, y' know people can't know about you-" Jack starts. 

"Please daddy! He helped me! Mr Blake left me alone and lost and some strange guy was following me! And then Mr Rhys helped me, daddy! He saved me!" Jack looks conflicted, and angry, he holsters his gun. 

"Fine." The CEO grumbles out. 

Rhys breathes out a sigh of relief he didn't know he was holding in. Angel sniffles and holds on tighter to Rhys's legs. Rhys crouches down to be eye level with her. 

"Its okay Angel, I'm okay." He reassures her. Angel nods quietly, she then runs off to hug her father. Rhys stands up, standing awkwardly. "You, legs, is this true about her being alone and that guy?" Rhys nods. "You think you can identify him if you see his face?" Rhys nods his head. 

"His name is Hugo Vasquez sir, Senior Vice Assistant in Propaganda and Security, handsome Jack sir," Rhys says, hopefully, Vasquez gets what's coming to him. 

"Mr Rhys was all like 'Back off!' and then the man lunged at him, daddy! Mr Rhys was so cool, even cooler than you! He then choked him out! It was so cool!" Jack raises a brow.

"Really now?" He looks at Rhys waiting for affirmation. Rhys nods quietly. 

"Maya!" The blue-haired lady now identified as Maya peaks her head around the door. "Tell Mr Blake to report to the nearest airlock immediately, and call Hugo Vasquez from Propaganda and Security up to my office." She nods and disappears from peaking around the door. Angel runs over to her father and motions for him to lean down. She whispers something into his ear.

"Rhys? Yeah?" Rhys nods. "I'm gonna need a new Personal Assistant now that Blake has been terminated and Angel could use a new more responsible caretaker, it's a good promotion." Rhys doesn't have to think about it, but he asks anyway. 

"Are you sure sir, I mean you just met me?" 

"Look I don't like owing people so think of it as my payback for saving Angel kay? Plus she asked me to make you my PA and I do anything for her." Rhys looks conflicted but then decides. 

"Alright sir, I'll do it." Jack claps his hands. 

"Great! You can go now, you'll report back to me at 6 am tomorrow so go tell your old boss I'm stealing you from them." Rhys doesn't need any more convincing. He rushes out the room, not before waving angel goodbye and he goes back down to Henderson's office. Putting the folders down on his desk. 

"You were supposed to deliver those to handsome jack!" Henderson says outraged. 

"Yeah well as of now I don't work under you anymore, take care." He goes to his old desk to pack it up. 

This has all gone by very fast but it's something. He has little on his desk just average work supplies and a photo of him with his old vault hunting crew with someones face crudely cut out. He packs it all into one box and heads home. He's taking a big nap when he reaches his apartment. But of course, Vaughn beats him to the punch he's calling Rhys on his echo. 

"Hey, Vaughn." 

"Oh god, I thought you were dead! I heard you were sent up the Handsome Jack's office to present the reports about Propaganda and Security not doing too well." Vaughn sighs heavily in relief.

"Yeah about that, I'm now Handsome Jack's personal assistant," Rhys says nonchalantly. 

"You're-you're what? Haha, very funny Rhys don't pull my leg!" Vaughn laughs. When Rhys doesn't respond Vaughn quiets down. "Oh, oh you're serious. Holy shit how'd you manage that!?" Vaughn yells into the echo-call. Rhys leans away as if it would make Vaughn's shout any less loud considering the call is taking place in his head. 

"I don't really know, it just happened, I start to tomorrow so pray for me, bro." Rhys shakes his head unlocking his and Vaughn's shared apartment and setting his box down on the kitchen counter. 

"I will bro, but I call dibs on your socks and-" 

"You will not be taking any of my socks, those are going with me to my grave bro, you can have my shoes."

"Okay no! Your feet are huge they won't fit me!" 

"That's the whole point, Vaughn." Rhys grins. "Bye bro."

A sigh on the other end. "Bye bro." 

Rhys just huffs and ends the echo-call. Toeing off his shoes and shrugging his vest off he goes to his room. Closing and locking the door. Today has been a pretty long day huh. He flops back down on his bed, reaching up to the clasps on his forehead and then his chin. Unclipping the mask and setting it down onto his nightstand. Setting his alarm using his echo eye to 5 am so he can arrive at 5:30 am and set up his new desk. Running a hand across his scarred face, the scar raised and ragged. He turns over in bed with a grumble, quickly falling asleep.

Rhys wakes up to his alarm blaring next to him. He turns it off and looks at the time Its 5 am like always. He gets up, shoulder sore from sleeping in his cybernetic arm, taking a scalding hot shower and getting dressed in a black shirt and black vest with Hyperion yellow accents. He puts on his black dyed skag-skin boots and fixes his hair. He puts his prosthetic face back on making sure the clasps are secure. 

He'd been working as Jacks PA for about a week starting this Sunday would be his second week working under Jack. It's been going good so far. He grabs his clipboard and folders since Jack was pretty old fashioned and liked to read through papers. He spots Vaughn sleep on the couch when he leaves his room. Leaving their shared apartment quietly he goes to the nearest executive elevator. He liked the walk, but just couldn't be bothered taking two different elevator trips.

He makes his way up and walks into Jack's office with no thought. He looks u and spots Jack asleep in his chair. That's unusual, Jack always came in at 6 am on the dot, never early and never late. On the rare occasion he was he always sent Rhys a quick message. "You're early Jack." Rhys acknowledges loudly. Jack startles and wakes up clutching his chest.

"Jeez man, you can't just scare someone like that!" Rhys hums narrowing his eyes. Jack doesn't say man, and when he startles he reaches for his holster first and always. This isn't jack so who is this person. He scans not-jack with his echo eye and it says all of Jacks information huh. 

"And I'm not early kiddo," Not jack says, oh! Its clicks this is Jack's doppelganger. 

"I know your not Jack so you can stop pretending." Rhys rolls his eyes going to the coffee machine. 

"Uh, you hit your head as a kid cupcake? Last time I checked I'm THE-" Before the doppelganger can finish Rhys interrupts him.

"I know you're not Jack you don't have to pretend what's your name, I'm Rhys, Jacks PA."

"How'd you figure it out so fast?" Not-jack huffs. "I'm Timothy just call me Tim though." He shrugs sheepishly, a goofy smile on his face. "Jack talks about you non-stop." Rhys hums and raises a brow. "Says your the and I quote 'the best damn PA I've had in years'." Timothy laughs. 

"I feel flattered, how do you take your coffee?" Rhys asks. "Like jacks?"

"Black as his soul and more bitter than orphan tears? Hell no, I like it with creme and sugar until it isn't coffee." Rhys takes note and starts making both men a cup of coffee, Jacks regular black and bitter and Timothy's sugary poison. He jogs up the stairs and put the coffees down on Jacks desk, pushing Timothy's over to him. 

"Thanks." Tim smiles.

"Don't mention it." Rhys smiles before he gets the chance to turn away and go to his own desk Timothy opens his mouth. 

"So what's up with the mask? You a fanboy or something?" Rhys frowns.

"It's actually a prosthetic," Rhys explains.

"Oh, I'm so sorry I didn't realize!" Tim begins.

"No no, it's fine don't worry about it."

Timothy just nods but Rhys can tell that he feels bad about it. Jack walks in, Rhys checks the time 6 am on the dot of course like clockwork. 

"Hey, you two!" Rhys just nods and waves. "Huh I'd thought you'd be freaking out a bit more Rhysie," Jacks says puzzled. 

"I knew Tim wasn't you, you come in at 6 am on the dot, plus you don't say, man." He hums. "….at all." He adds as an afterthought. He goes to his desk it was down the stairs next to the door. After a while, Tim leaves after catching up with Jack and Angel comes in at 8 am. Being escorted by Maya of course. She goes over to hug Jack before speeding off to bother Rhys. He doesn't mind too much. Angel and him colour and when it turns 9 am she gets escorted by Maya once again down to some kid named Gaige's lab for her lessons. Which for how bright she wasn't really needed. 

"Hey, so can you email me those uh…the um names of those ah what meeting was it?" Jack grumbles going through some papers.

"The Jakobs Meeting? You'll be seeing Sam Irving and Clover EveField, at 4 pm tomorrow, Sir."

"How many times have I said this cupcake, just call me Jack you can drop the Sir, makes you seem more like a bootlicker." 

"And what makes me seem like a bootlicker in the first place?" Rhys raises a brow focusing on what's on his computer screen.

"That damned mask is one-" Before Jack can continue Rhys interrupts him. 

"It's a prosthetic, Jack," Rhys says a little irked. His eyebrow twitching. 

"Huh?" 

"It's a prosthetic," Rhys repeats himself. 

"Oh…." Jack deadpans.

"It's fine Jack, I get it a lot, your not the first," Rhys reassures the older man, who seems somewhat relieved. "Just don't ask about mine, and I don't ask about yours," Rhys adds as an afterthought. Rhys could get a pretty good read on Jack and he knew Jack was going to ask, sooner or later.  Rhys gets a notification in his echo eye second before it pops up on his computer screen. Its R&D telling him to ring the alarms due to stalkers escaping. Rhys remembers Angel saying Gaige's lab was down in R&D, he stands legs shaky, shit shit. 

Folding out the palm of his hand a holo pop-up saying 'Emergency Broadcast' and the option to start it. Rhys clicks to start to emergency broadcast. It was technically his job to talk over the public announcement system. "Code red i repeat Code red, please stay out of the halls and retreat to a safe area, Stalkers have escaped from R&D. I repeat please stay out of the halls." He then loops the broadcast a couple of times before turning it off.  

"Jack go call Gaige's echo," He says quickly words rushing from his mouth.

"What! Shit!" Jack scurries to go call Gaige's echo, it rings before going to voicemail. "She's not answering! I need to go get Angel!" He goes to leave but the doors open and Gaige and Angel come running in. The door closes behind them. Gaige is bleeding from her side and has a limp but otherwise isn't to badly hurt. Rhys's echo eye can see it's just a deep cut but nothing fatal. Angel is perfectly fine minus some scraps on her knees.

"Daddy!" Angel cries out running and jumping into Jacks' arms. Jack holds her tight. Muttering and mumbling to her to calm her down.

"I tried to make sure none of them followed us but-" A loud bang on the door. "...I think one made it up." The door slowly slides open. 

"Shit! Rhys close the door!" Jack begins. Rhys is already on it, pulling the emergency level that's behind his desk. The stalker keeps trying to force the door open and Rhys pulls all his weight into pulling the level back down. The door slams closed and one of the stalkers limbs get cut off. 

Angel is still crying and scared. Gaige looks pained and panicked. Rhys gets a notification from R&D.

"Okay, R&D has handled all stalkers minus the one at the door." Rhys sighs rubbing a hand over his face. 

"Okay, so what now, do we wait it-" BANG "wait it out?" Jack questions. 

"No, no sooner or later it's going to come busting through those doors, did you see how big that thing was!?" Gaige exclaims. 

"It's not getting, not unless we kill it first, it's going to take a while for R&D's response team to get up here without necessary permissions." Rhys nods. "Priorities first though, we need Angel safe if I don't manage to kill it." He hums giving Jack a pointed look. 

"What do you mean if YOU don't manage to kill it? You're not going out there are you?" Jack looks at the brunette indignantly. "Stupid question because of course your not going out there, see I know you're trying to be a hero cupcake but you're made mostly of twigs, that Vasquez thing was just quick thinking, you said it yourself." jack shakes his head, Angel is calm enough to tune into the conversation.

"Jack you're not the only one capable of killing alien monsters," Rhys says rolling his eyes. His echo-eye glows to life, a panel in his cybernetic arm opens and out springs a pistol. In his left hand, a pistol also springs from under his sleeve. Twirling the guns and making sure they were loading. "I'll be back of course."Angel looks at him before shaking her head no. He turns away and walks over to the door. 

"Wait! Rhys, Don't go! You'll get hurt!" Angel cries out in protest. 

"Don't worry Angel, it's just a stalker nothing I cant handle." Before Angel can wiggle free from Jack's arms to physically stop Rhy, Rhys uses his echo-eye to crack open the door and the brunette slips through before the stalker realizes it's open. Angel cries out, Gaige rushes to close the door again. Theres gunshots, loud crashing, and rhys cursing. Jack honestly has been sunned. Angel has wiggled out his grasp and Gaige is wrangling her so she doesn't open the door and kill them all. 

"Shit that idiot is going to get himself killed, and I'm going to have to find a new PA!" Jack pulls out his pistol and begins towards the door. There's a bang on the door and the body of the creature presumably slamming against it. Then some more screeching and then a gunshot and everything goes quiet. "Gaige, the door." Gaige nods and opens it, the locking feature turned off as the lever is released. The hydraulics hiss and the door opens to reveal the lobby is destroyed. The giant-sized stalker is slumped and its blood is practically flooding out of bullet holes. Gaige manages to keep Angel's eyes away and whisks her off to the penthouse.

"Rhysie? Where you at!" Jack looks around confused to where his PA could've gone.

"Under the stalker Jack!" Rhys calls out sounding muffled. Jack hustles in a brisk jog over to the monster, and Rhys is pinned under the stalkers weight. The creature is large but Jack should be able to push it off.

"Don't worry princess, I'll get you out." He grins, goes to push the creature off Rhys but Rhys freaks out.

"No no! Wait till medical get up here," He says out of breath.

"You hurt?"

"Dumb question jack, of course, I am. This isn't just stalker blood." Rhys groans. 

Jacks takes his echo out to call Medical after he gets done with threatening whoever was on the other end he puts his echo away and looks at Rhys. Sitting down and leaning against the wall.

"What's your problem kiddo? You couldn't wait till R&D got up here."

"Yeah like they'd make it in time, the turrets would go crazy if they tried coming out here without disabling the lockdown first, and y' know that takes a while jack."

"Stupid security features," Jack grumbles out.

"You're the one that made them." 

"Oh yeah, ugh i must've been drunk and paranoid."

"Probably."

"Definitely." 

Jack and Rhys look at each other before laughing lightly. Rhys cries out in pain and coughs. Jack sighs.

"Medical is gonna be up in like 40 seconds."

"Good, I'm dying."

"No, you're not."

"No I am, I really meant it." Rhys snorts looking at jack before rolling his eyes.

"You're not dying Rhysie, not on my watch."   
"Okay, mom." 

Medical starts to flood in. Surrounding Rhys, the creature is pulled off Rhys and Jack can see the damage. 

"Jesus," Jack mutters. Rhys organs are actually outside his body. The gash in his side and stomach is huge and the man screams through the whole ordeal. Its a wonder the man hasn't passed out yet.

"Jack, I'm going to pass out now."

"You do that cupcake, I got ya." 

 


End file.
